Soccer stars steal show at Germany's Bambi Awards

BERLIN (Reuters Life!) - National and international celebrities including actor Orlando Bloom, soccer player Mesut Ozil and singer Beth Ditto took home Germany's most coveted media prizes, known as the "Bambi Awards."

A UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2009, "Lord of the Rings" star Bloom won the Bambi Charity Award on Thursday night for his humanitarian work with children in some of the world's poorest regions.

"He always makes time to travel to distant countries so he can draw attention to the destitution faced by children and the work done by charities," the jury said, explaining its decision.

But it was Germany's soccer heroes who stole the show moderated by "Sex and the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker in the Babelsberg Filmpark near Berlin on Thursday evening.

Turkish-born Real Madrid footballer Ozil was hailed as a prime example of successful integration into German society and won the prize in the "Integration" category.

"This is a great honor for me and I'm very happy," he said. "Integration creates something new and makes for a more colorful Germany."

Singer Shakira also presented German national soccer team coach Joachim Loew and his team with the jury's "Special Prize" for the outstanding performance they put in at the World Cup in South Africa earlier this year, where Germany claimed third place.

Loew credited the whole team.

"The players did a great job," he said. "They played with incredible enthusiasm and discipline."
Continued...